A Hamburger Today

Cook the Book: 'Molto Gusto'

Posted by Caroline Russock, Apr 12, 2010

There's something thrilling about a restaurant cookbook full of recipes that you know and love, especially when those recipes are entirely accessible to home cooks. The restaurant that I'm talking about is Otto, Mario Batali's West Village pizzeria and enoteca, a place where I find myself dining at least twice a month. Molto Gusto features recipes taken almost entirely from the menu of Otto, from the incredible vegetable and seafood antipasti, to pastas, pizzas, and the insanely delicious gelatos that are one of my reasons for becoming such a devoted regular.

But aside from being a great restaurant cookbook, Batali and Mark Ladner have put together a book that looks to incorporate the vegetable-heavy style of Italian eating for an American audience. The meals that Batali and Lander purpose in Molto Gusto are fresh, healthful, and easy to prepare but also rustic, nuanced, and incredibly satisfying.

This week we will be sharing a full meal's worth of recipes from Molto Gusto starting with Lentils and Pancetta, a Caprese Salad that can be made year round, Pizza with Sausage and Peppers, Linguine with Squid and its Ink, and finishing up with Otto's signature Olive Oil Gelato.

Win 'Molto Gusto'

Thanks to the generous folks over at Ecco, we are giving away five (5) copies of Molto Gusto this week. All you have to do is tell us about a restaurant where you are a regular in the comments section below.

Five (5) people will be chosen at random among the eligible comments below. We're sorry, but entry is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Comments will close Monday, April 19 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.

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